Accession Number

2007.002.001

Description

A sterling silver teapot, the body with three bands of applied decoration consisting of garlands of acanthus leaves and fruit, the letter "B" in Gothic font on the lower portion of the body, the hinged top with acorn-shaped finial, the silver handle with repouseed acanthus-leaf decoration.

Narrative

This teapot is part of a five-piece tea & coffee service that was made in San Francisco by Shreve & Co. sometime between 1896 and 1906. The Dunsmuir family's coal business was always linked to San Francisco, and this silver service wasn’t the only Dunsmuir possession they bought from Shreve & Co. That firm also sold the 103-piece silver flatware that the family used in Craigdarroch’s dining room.

History of Use

This teapot, and the five-piece service that it is part of, was first owned by Elizabeth Bryden, daughter of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir, and was given to The Castle Society by her great-granddaughter.  The Bryden family used the set at Dalzellowlie, the Esquimalt B.C. house built in 1894 on Head Street. It later was used by the family in Royston, B.C. and still later, in Courtney, B.C. until 2007 when it was given to Craigdarroch Castle.

Date

circa 1897

Material

Metal, silver

Technique

Repoussed; Embossed

Country of Origin

United States of America